


Compline

by ladyjax



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: AU, Female Character of Color, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-10-20
Updated: 2005-10-20
Packaged: 2017-10-13 13:33:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/137940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyjax/pseuds/ladyjax
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The team is on the run but sometimes they get to rest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Compline

John likes watching them sleep.

By the low light of the oil lamp, he sees that Rodney has one arm slung around Teyla's waist keeping her close to him while the other is folded beneath his head. Teyla's head rests beneath his chin, arms tucked in close to her chest making her seem even smaller than she actually is.

Rodney and Teyla are surprisingly gentle with each other in slumber, a far cry from their waking relationship which John can only characterize as caustically affectionate. There is a protectiveness in the way Rodney curls around Teyla. Early in their exile, Teyla told them that she doesn't dream of the Wraith when Rodney holds her, a fact which alternately pleased and embarassed the physicist. John likes to think that somehow Rodney is able to provide a type of protection he could not normally during a mission. The thought makes him smile.

A cool brush of air across his naked back alterts him that someone has come into the lodge and then a warm, slightly wet body presses against him even as strong arms slip around his waist. John tips his head back so he can rest it on Ronon's shoulder.

"Ramble done for the night?" he asks softly so as not wake the pair in the bed.

Ronon's beard scratches John lightly as the other man plants a kiss on John's throat. "Mmm, yeah, I'm done." The rolling timbre of Ronon's voice warms him. "Come to bed."

"In a minute."

One last kiss and Ronon slips around him to grab a towel and dry off. It's raining outside but not cold; when they arrive in Hellas it's high summer and periodic rain storms are part of the package. Ronon's nightly perimeter sweeps, a habit left over from his years as a runner, serve the dual purpose of helping him burn off energy in addition to making sure that nothing is lurking in the woods surrounding the village. The Hellans say nothing about this habit except to ask Ronon to teach some of their villagers how to track by night. It's a solid trade, one which benefits both parties: the Hellans learn a valuable skill and his people get a lodge of their own within the village proper.

John stands up, stretches then flexes his shoulders to get the kinks out. He blows out the oil lamp and makes his way to the side of the bed where Ronon is standing. John slides beneath the covers and shimmies close to Teyla's body, capturing some of her warmth. Ronon, in turn, wraps his arms around John and buries his face in his neck. His breath, warm and soft, tickles across John's skin.

This is home for now. Home for all of them until they can one day return to their beloved City. John Sheppard slides into sleep with his family all about him and dreams of a distant future.

**Author's Note:**

>  _A word or two about "Compline": The Office of Compline originated and developed in Southern Europe and the Middle East during the first six centuries of the Christian era. It was the last of the monastic “offices” of the day, “completing” the work of the day that had already gathered the community for worship at six specific times over its course. The quietness of the late evening hour, reflection on the course of the day, anticipation of the opportunities or threat of the coming day, and perhaps anxiety about the darkness and possible dangers of the night itself were all addressed by scripture, prayer, and hymns._  
>  from The Chapel of the Cross Compline web page.


End file.
